Are you wearing the right clothes? Are you giving off the right vibe? Do you have the front of house on speed dial? I am proposing a short film that shines a light on the elusive social protocols that exist across the increasingly curated and cagey third spaces at the centre of culture: from the secretive door policies of Berlin’s selective techno clubs, to the obscure membership applications of LA’s elite wellness studios and convoluted reservation processes at New York’s ‘clubstaurants’, all controlled by power-hungry hospitality bureaucrats, door bouncers and front of house managers.
Inspired by the editing technique of Adam Curtis, the short video will feature a collage made from the endless well of content that exists across TikTok and Youtube where creators try to ‘hack’ and navigate these various social protocols, in addition to a voiceover, all edited together to create a story of social desire and status anxiety, calling for more democratic, transparent and collaborative social protocols for curating these scenes.
A few references of the kind of videos I’d be looking to include in the video accompanying the voiceover: influencers detailing tips on how to get into Berghain, how to secure reservations at Carbone, how to get their Soho House applications approved
A quick intro on me:
I’m a Berlin and Melbourne based researcher and writer with essays exploring the hidden undercurrents shaping the cultural zeitgeist in publications including Dirt, Off, Playground Mag, and in my own newsletter; idle gaze.